Athabascan Fiddlers Festival shows no signs of slowing down
Published Thursday, November 13, 2008
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FAIRBANKS — No one has to coax dancers onto the dance floor at the Athabascan Fiddlers Festival.
Shortly after the opening strains of fiddle and guitar music starting bouncing off the pole ceiling of the Chief David Salmon Tribal Hall on Wednesday night, dancers took to the floor two-stepping in time to Western ballads and blues.
The four-day fiddling festival is in its 26th year and shows no signs of slowing down. Hundreds of locals turn out to visit with hundreds of friends and relatives pouring in from Interior communities and elsewhere to join in the fun, some taking their place playing music on stage and many others whirling around the dance floor.
Lorraine David, raised in Hughes, and a Fairbanks resident since the 1970s, said she attends each year to dance, listen to music and visit with people.
David pointed out her parents, Joe and Celia Beetus, who were sitting at one of the banks of tables on two sides of the dance floor set up specifically for elders to give them a good view of the action.
Joe, 92, and Celia, 86, celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary last June, their daughter said. “My mom can’t see, and dad can’t hear, so they help each other,” she said.
Gideon James of Arctic Village plays the fiddle and guitar and is on today’s program. Wednesday night, he listened, visited and planned to dance as well before entertaining the crowd, which grows bigger each day of the festival.
TCC Security guard Jonas Poncho was door sentinel Wednesday night, with an ear to the music.
“Energetic” is how Poncho described the crowd. “It’s so cold outside, but you couldn’t believe the energy they have in here,” he said.
There was plenty of toe tapping going on in the hall’s spacious kitchen where dozens of guitar and violin cases were strewn across stainless steel counters and leaning up against cabinets. In various corners, small pods of musicians hunkered together while warming up for their half-hour gigs.
Robert Wonhola of New Stuyahok was tuning up his electric guitar with a small electronic meter, while Virgil Neketa of the same Yup’ik village was fiddling nearby with two senior musicians from Nulato — Victor George Sr., 80, and William Ambrose Sr., 66.
Age makes no difference when you’re jammin’ and the music is flowing.
“We’re just like one big family, this whole crew,” Ambrose said. “This is the time for gathering. People live for this jamboree once a year.”
Ambrose started playing the guitar when he was 18 or 19.
“I learned to play by watching the elders,” he said. “I used to sit and watch the elders, and then I dreamt about it and dreamt about it and then I tried it.”
And he’s been playing music ever since and teaching young people along the Yukon River to play, too.
Bill McCarty Jr. of Ruby is proficient on three instruments — guitar, violin and mandolin — and has attended and played at 23 of the 26 Fiddlers Festivals throughout the years.
McCarty started twanging on a guitar as a teenager during the 1950s, learning from older men at gatherings in Tanana and Galena. Soon, he was playing backup and memorizing the tunes and songs.
“One day about 15 years ago, I just picked up a violin and started playing that,” the retired carpenter said. “I like the fiddle music.”
Some of McCarty’s favorites are country music, especially Hank Williams tunes.
McCarty has taught his son, William III, who was tutored by Herbie Vent, Bergman Esmailka and the late Jimmy Malemute. His grandson, Gerald McCarty, also learned from his grandpa.
The newest member of the family musicians is his wife of 45 years, DeeDee, who will be playing backup at a 1:30 a.m. set today.
McCarty said he has kept the music going in his family and elsewhere to encourage healthy lifestyles.
“I try to teach my kids so they could have fun without alcohol,” he said. “I always support sobriety events.
Today, Friday and Saturday, musicians take the stage beginning at 1 p.m. with continuous music, changing every half hour, until 2 a.m. the next morning.
Admission at the door is $20.
Community Discussion
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a great festival every year and a wonderful celebration of Alaska Native identity.
Great, Yeah, I'd like to make it to this fiddle festival some year.
I have one qualification, I am sober for 17 1/2 years. My dancing in this manner is not good. My age is too young for this, but old enough to be practicing, lol
I like it when i see younger generation in there with the 1st generation. I'm 2nd generation, and i don't know how to play fiddle or speak my gwichin language fluently; but i can dance.
Shouldn't the fiddler's surname be "George", not "Geoge"?
I just hope the fiddlers board are putting the money where it belongs!. Because currently they are keeping that a big secret and are hostle when one of the musician ask for a bank statement. Keep your hand out of the musicians festival account! Your time is coming for judgement day.
Dawg, good for you! and if this white man is willing to give it a go (and oh do I have two left feet) well, then anyone can do it!
dammit I missed it this year,don"t worry be thier next year,FOR SURE
The fact is Ann Fears is playing the game as volunteering for the fiddlers and says the festival barely made any money to all the musicians every year. Then why did she paid herself $5,000.00, after last year's festival? I wonder what the other board members are receiving to keep this a secret. Why are they so hostle even toward their own musicians about looking into the festival bank activities? and "friendly fairbanks" you sound like you are a conspiracy to this crime and how dare you insult our veteran-Pete J. Peter about his opinion and for your information he has saved many drunk natives from freezing. The fact is the Athabasacan (Gwich'in) traditional fiddling dances are vanishing under these crooked board members. Pete was concern about this issue for many years and did some dances for the kids in the past out of his pocket. This is how dedicated he is toward the young generation. Fact: for the whole festival the musicians only get $75.00 each for the last 15 years. Does this sound like a fair deal? Petition them out after the festival and give it back to the musicians and the communities of Alaska. PEACE!
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